Pre-Publication Hints and Tips: Writing Outside Your Book

In the book marketing world, visibility is crucial. “Getting your name out there” is a phrase you’ll hear time and time again as an author, but the point still stands: if your name is recognized by a reader, they’re far more likely to buy your book.

Since writing is your craft, one of the best ways to get your name noticed is to write outside your book. This means pitching ideas to media influencers, bloggers, newspapers, websites and magazines – especially if they relate to your writing niche. For example, if you’ve done extensive research on the subject of twins for your book, find a journal or website that has an already-developed interest in this area and ask the editor if they’d be interested in what you have to say. They may have some added guidelines for you to follow, but if you pitch them with an outline of your ideas they’re much more likely to accept your proposal.

Tactical writing can increase the visibility of your titles and boost your credibility in the publishing world – but only if done right. Quality over quantity still applies, so it’s best to create a developed strategy even when writing for a more casual setting like a blog or a newsletter. Your aim should be to boost your reputation and to create discussion, with the ultimate goal to have a lasting effect beyond the few days of garnered traffic when your outside writing is freshly published. This may mean writing outside of what’s trendy – hopping on the wave of popularity can be great for short-term success, but eventually you’ll be lost in a sea of other authors writing on the same subject.